Decision-support technologies are badly needed in many large-scale network
applications (e.g., air traffic management, virus spread control, sensor
networking, and information system management). Real time decision-making in
these applications is very challenging, due to large network size, complex
network structure, and intricate intertwined dynamics. Furthermore, uncertain
environmental impact significantly complicates decision-making procedures in
realistic settings. My research is concerned with developing general tools for
crucial decision-making tasks in large-scale dynamical networks under
uncertainty. In particular, I have been focused on four deeply-coupled
directions: 1) modeling and abstraction of uncertain environmental impact and
large-scale network dynamics to permit tractable evaluation and control, 2)
estimation of network state and structure based upon smartly collected
measurement data, 3) effective system performance evaluation under uncertainty,
and 4) design and decentralized control of large-scale network dynamics. In
pursuing these directions, I utilize the tools from a variety of fields,
including decentralized control, algebraic graph theory, stochastic systems
analysis, optimization, numerical simulation, and information theory. In this
talk, I will first motivate the decision-making problems common to several
applications, and then provide an overview of my development in the above four
directions, with the aim of enabling effective real-time decision-making in
large-scale networks.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Yan Wan is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical
Engineering at the University of North Texas. She received her Ph.D. degree in
Electrical Engineering from Washington State University in May 2009. After
that, she worked briefly as a postdoctoral scholar in the Control Systems
program at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Dr. Wan’s research
interest lies in developing tools for decision-making tasks in large-scale
networks, with applications to air traffic management, sensor networking,
systems biology, etc. She has authored and co-authored more than 80
publications. She was the recipient of the prestigious 2009 William E. Jackson
Award, presented by Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA).